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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. land — a country
  4. roll — a list
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. roll — a cake
  8. lean — thin
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. lean — to bend
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. march — the month
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mark — a grade
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. land — to come down
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com